The Influence of the Principalship in Retaining Novice Teachers

Author

Casey WhittleFollow

Campus Location

Dallas Campus (Online)

Date of Award

4-2024

Document Type

Dissertation

Department

Organizational Leadership

Degree Name

Doctor of Education

Committee Chair or Primary Advisor

John Kellmayer

Second Committee Member or Secondary Advisor

Timothy B. Jones

Third Committee Member or Committee Reader

Mark Weatherly

Abstract

Abstract

The purpose of the qualitative descriptive study was to understand novice teachers’ perspectives of principal behaviors that keep them employed in a North Texas school district. A purposive sample of 12 novice secondary teachers and six secondary principals participated in semistructured interviews. The individual interviews were recorded and transcribed. In vivo coding and structural coding were used to analyze the data. The findings of the study confirmed that participants in the study believed certain behaviors of secondary principals influenced novice teacher retention. Novice teacher participants expressed a need to trust their principal and fit into the principal’s vision and culture of the school for them to remain in their position. Equally as crucial to the principal’s influence on novice teacher retention, the participants also emphasized the importance of professional links on their campus as a critical reason for them to stay in their jobs. Additionally, the study confirmed that secondary principals are intentional with retention during a teacher’s first year of service; however, beyond the first year of service, principals are less purposeful in ensuring a novice teacher remains in their position. Teacher retention continues to plague schools, and the results of this study could be used to develop novice teacher retention behaviors as well as processes to ensure teachers are supported and valued beyond their first year of service.

Creative Commons License

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Recommended Citation

Whittle, Casey, "The Influence of the Principalship in Retaining Novice Teachers" (2024). Digital Commons @ ACU, Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 758.
https://digitalcommons.acu.edu/etd/758